One huge wood-pecker!!

[countrygirl4513]

I have got a huge woodpecker nailing the heck out of my Cataboa tree. He has made 4 huge holes big enough to stick your fist in. And he is monstrous in size. I've never seen one so large. I've wrapped the holes with netting but he acts like there's nothing there at all. Anyone got any history on these aggravating buggers? Is he drilling for bugs or what? I've tried to get a pic of him but he flies off as soon as he hears the door open up.Any suggestions on what I should do?

 

[sgtmom52]

Is this the woodpecker you are seeing?

If so, it is a pileated woodpecker. It is the one that the cartoon Woody Woodpecker is based on. It is the largest woodpecker in the U.S. and yes it is looking for bugs, grubs, ants or what ever else it can find to eat.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pileated_Woodpecker_dtl.html

 

[rooster-red]

He is after bugs, which means your tree is already infested with something, and may be not as healthy as it looks from outside.

We have those huge woodpeckers here also.
They are quite loud when they start calling to each other.

 

[twincreekfarm]

You can tell if its a Pileated lated Woodpecker by the sound it makes, which sounds like you have monkeys in your yard!

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Wanna hear something really cool. Last yr we had a washington state woodpecker in our new jersey back yard. Is that normal for a bird from that are to fly over here?

 

[countrygirl4513]

yep that's the one. I've heard their calls, they are loud. He has sure made a mess of my tree. wonder if he has totally killed the tree now?

 

[jjthink]

He is eating the bugs which were likely damaging your tree. Unlike the which-came-first-the-chicken-or-the- egg, in this case, the bugs came, started damaging your tree, and then along came Woody Woodpecker.......
JJ

 

[Wolfpacker]

"Why's everybody looking at ME?"